Telephone switchboard



G. D. WOLF.

TELEPHONE SWITCHBOARD.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-6,1915.

1,32 1 37% Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET L llllm Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

2 SH EETSSHEET 2.

G. D. WOLF TELEPHONE SWITCHBAOARD. APPLICATION man OCT. 6, 1915.

WEE STATES PATENT enema GEORGE I). WOLF, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORTO KELLOGG SWITCHBOARD AND SUPPLY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TELEPHONE-SNITOHBOARD.

t ereto.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented tic-v.18, 1919.

Application fi1ed October 6, 1915. Serial No. 54,303.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatl, (lnonen I). Wear, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing in Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improven'ients in TelephoneSwitchboards, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to telephcme switchboards of the type in whichcentral oflice operators are used to establish connections betweensul'iscribers lines. The object of my invention. to construct thedifferent parts that forl'n a switchboard of this char-- actor, in sucha inaimer that the parts may be interchangeably mounted and at any timeany additional equipment may be readily added.

A feature of my invention is the constrnction of the key shelf and themethod of mounting the keys upon the key shelf of the switchboard so asto permit longitmlinal movement of the keys as well as providing .novelmeans for clamping the keys in posi tion, thus providing means forreadily mounting variable widths of keys.

With a switchboardconstruction above described I have obviatedundesirable features and embodied desirable features and advantages allin a simple, efficient and economical manner; and to the accomplishmentof the above objects and such other as may hereinafter appear, myinvention consists in the novel details of construction, parts, andcombination of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed outin the appended claims.

F or better understanding of my invention reference may be had to theacconn ianyring drawings in which like reference char-ac ters denotelike parts and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tele phoneswitchboard embodying the features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlar ed fragmentary plan view of the key shelf;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 1--4c of Fig. 2; showing the methodof mounting the keys in the key shelf, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the clamping member for the key.

Referring now more in detail to my inven tion as illustrated andreferring more particularly to Fig. 1, the cabinet A and the plugs B areof any suitable or approved construction. The key shelf D of theswitchboard is provided with suitable ringing and listening keys K whichare adapted for different functions in the circuits of the switchboard.

Referring now to Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive, I illustrate a method ofconstructing the key shelf and also a method of mounting the keys in thesaid key shelf. l preferably construct the key shelf in two sections 13and 1% respectively, the said sections being joined in any suitablemanner as by means of the angle pieces 15, which are fastened tothesections 13 and lt by means of the screws 16. The key shelf thusformed provides a longitudinal opening 17 extending the length of thesaid key shelf, which can be made of varying widths for mountingdifferent lengths of key .escutcheons. The key shelf D comprises twomembers, 1.3 and 14:, which have the bottom edges of their inner facescut away so as to form recesses l9 which extend the length of theopening 17. Each inner opposite face of the key shelf opening 17 has ametal bar or strip 20 fastoned to it in any suitable manner as by meansof the screws 21. The bars 20 are so positioned upon the inner faces, infixed relation to the recesses 19, as to form a channel or groove 22.The key escutcheons 18, carrying the usual listening and ringing keys,are mounted across the opening 17 in the key shelf D. The escntcheonswhen in position in the opening 17 are adapted to be longitudinallyadjusted by means of a pair,

of clamps 23. Each clamp 23 has a hookshaped portion 23 which engagesthe bot tom edge 20 of the bar 20. The hole 223 in the angular shapedportion 23 of clamp 28 is drilled and provided with screw threads toreceive a clamping screw '24. The said screw is inserted through asuitable opening in the escutcheon or key base 18 and has screw threadedengagement with the opening 23 of the clamp 23, thereby causing theclamps 23 to securely engage the bar 20, thus providing fastening meansfor said escutch eons 18.

To mount a key in the opening 17 of the key shelf D, the said key baseor escutcheon is placed in position resting upon the top edges 20 of thebars 20. A clamp 23 is then positioned so that the hook portion of theclamp engages the bottom edge of the bar 20, the ends of the hookportion 23 extending into the groove 22. With the clamps in thisposition the screws 24 are threaded into the tapped openings 23permitting longitudinal adjustment in relation to the opening 17 andwhen in the desired position the screws are tightened, forcing the hookportion of the clamp into engagement with the lower edge 20 of the bars'20, thus locking the key in position. By construet ing the key shelf inthe above described manner, I" eliminate all the ditlicult cuttingout ofthe key-shelf for the frame, the large amount of exact drilling to bringabout the matching of the parts, and at the same time I make the keysaccessible so that they may be easily removed for repairs or adjusting.

While I have shown my invention adapted to one particular form, I do notwish-to limit myself to the exact construction and uses to which it hasbeen put, but aim to cover all such changes and modifications as comewithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby United States Letters Patent, is:

1. A switchboard of the class described including a key shelf having anopening therein, longitudinal slots or recesses cut in said key shelf,key supporting strips mounted in said opening longitudinal of said keyshelf and extending downward partially covering said longitudinal slots,a key escutcheon mounted within said opening and supported by saidstrips, catch members for said key escutcheon provided with upturnedportions that lit over said strips into said slots, and screws passingthrough said escutcheon into integrally formed flanged portions of saidcatch members to securely hold said key escutcheon in position.

2. A switchboard having a key shelf provided with an opening therein,slots cut in the bottom edges of the inner faces of the periphery of themembers that form the key shelf, key supporting strips mount-ed in saidopening, secured to said key shelf members and extending downwardpartiall'y covering the slots cut in said key shelf members, a key basesupported by said strips within said opening and adapted to be adjustedlongitudinally of said opening, catch members having their main bodyportions lying against said supporting strips and provided with upturnedportions extending over protruding portions of said mounting strips intosaid longitudinal slots, fastening members extending through said keybase and having screw-threaded engagement with integrally formed flangedportions of said catch members to securely hold the key base in itsadjusted position.

3. The combination with a telephone switchboard of a key shelf having anopening therein, supporting rails mounted in said opening, a keyescutcheonv mounted within said opening, supported by said rails andadapted to be moved longitudinally, catch members for said keyescutcheon having flat portions mounted parallel to and lying againstsaid mounting rails and provided with hook portions extending over saidmounting rails, and screw members extending through orifices in said heyeseutcheon into tapped orifices in integrally formed flanged portions ofsaid catch members, which flanged portions extend perpendicular to saidmounting rails, to securely hold said key escutcheon in its adjustedposition.

l. In a switchboard of the class described. a key shelf having anopening therein, a pair of supporting strips mounted in said openinglongitudinally of said key shelf opening, a key base adjustably held bysaid supporting strips, catch members for said key base provided withupturned portions adapted to fit over said supporting strips, and screwmembers passing through openings in said key base and into threadedportions in said catch members for securely locking said key base tosaid supporting strips.

5. A switchboard of the class described provided with a key shelf havingan opening therein, key supporting strips mounted in said openinglongitrulinally of said key shelf, akey plate supported on said keyshell by said supporting strips, a catch member provided with anupturned portion adapted to fit over one of said supporting strips andhaving a longitudinally extended portion provided with threads, and ascrew member adapted to fit into an orifice in said key plate andprovided with threads for engaging the threaded portion of said catchmeu'lber to securely hold one end of said hey plate in longitudinaladjustment with the key shelf.

"Signed by me at Chicago in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, inthe presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE D. WOLF.

\Vitnesses G. A. YANOOHOWSKI, B. OBRIEN.

